The defending champions, Team USA, are getting closer to defending their title at the 2026 United Cup after securing a 2-1 victory over Greece in the quarterfinals at the RAC Arena in Perth on Wednesday, January 7. This win secured their berth in the semifinals in Sydney, after a decisive mixed doubles clash, where Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison sealed the win for their team.
During the press conference following the match, Gauff talked about receiving special advice from her teammate Taylor Fritz, which seemed to have worked for the duo in the mixed matches.
Coco Gauff Reveals Receiving Secret Advice From Taylor Fritz in the United Cup
Gauff and Harrison teamed up to defeat the Greek pair of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 in 86 minutes to seal the win for Team USA. Following the victory, Gauff addressed the media during the post-match press conference. When asked about teaming up together and securing the semifinal spot for their team, Gauff thanked the team and the support they received from them.
She said, “It was a team effort, especially in the tiebreaker.” What Gauff said next surprised everyone, but also brought a wave of laughter in the media room. She added, “I never thought I would get doubles advice from Taylor, but it was actually successful. I appreciate it.”
The World No. 4 then talked about the importance of the decisive mixed doubles rubber. “I think in those moments it’s important because literally in tiebreaks every point matters more so than maybe in a three-set format. It definitely came down to the wire. So, yeah, I appreciate the whole team talking to us, pumping us up, and seeing things that maybe we couldn’t see on the court.”
Off to Sydney and ready to defend their title! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/P6xrIGtQPX
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 7, 2026
Even when Gauff had shifted the conversation from Fritz’s advice, the point was noted by everyone in the room. After she was finished, a reporter doubled down on the advice from Fritz, asking what he said to her exactly. Gauff declined to elaborate and simply replied, “I mean, it worked, so we’ll keep it a secret.”
Team USA’s Quarterfinal Tie Against Greece and Off-Court Revelations
The path to the United Cup semifinals was not easy for the Americans, as they had to fight through a tough opponent in the form of the Greeks. Gauff initially brought joy to the American roster with her straight-sets win over Maria Sakkari; however, the Greeks retaliated quickly.
They leveled up the tie following Tsitsipas’s straight sets win over the ATP World No. 9, which marked his first top-ten win in 18 months. This forced the tie into a decisive mixed doubles match, featuring Gauff/Harrison and Sakkari/Tsitsipas, which was won by the Americans in just over 90 minutes.
Just one day before they clashed with Greece, Gauff joined the Player’s Box Podcast alongside Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk. When asked about her favorite memories from the tournament, the World No. 4 revealed an unheard side of Fritz.
She revealed that Fritz is very superstitious and always wants to be “the guy” to finish all the escape rooms, but has only ever done it once. This showed the lighthearted side of the tournament, where players perform such activities to create a strong bond required for such team events.
With their Perth campaign successfully concluded, Team USA will now head to Sydney to face the winner of the Poland vs. local Team Australia quarterfinal tie.